Virginia state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds is back with a purpose

Virginia state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) was stabbed repeatedly last year in an assault by his mentally ill, 24-year-old son, Austin Deeds, at the family house in Bath County, west of Charlottesville. Austin Deeds then fatally shot himself. Deeds faults the state’s mental health system in the incident, and he has returned to the state Senate determined to strengthen the emergency-custody process for the mentally ill.

Jan. 8, 2014Sen. R. Creigh Deeds gets to work as Virginia's General Assembly reconvenes at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. It was his first public appearance since he was attacked in November by his mentally ill son, who then took his own life. Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post